The IDF presented Israeli media outlets with photos and footage showing how Hamas has been targeting the border fence in Gaze since March 30th in what Hamas is calling the protest of return. The IDF is claiming that the protest is a campaign propagated by the terror organization and is not a legitimate social uprising.
The IDF sent up a camera drone in order to obtain footage of the tactics being used from behind the fence. In the footage captured one can see the sandbag fortifications hat, Hamas has built in the areas designated for protest, that alongside them are burning tires surrounding the fortifications to conceal them from view. This tactic creates an arrowhead style of entrenchment that allows the protesters to get close to the fence without being seen as they are covered by the smoke screen.
It is also clearly visible how the protesters are causing damage in attempts to pry open the fence. They walk away from the fence with pieces that they have pried off of it and they have sent firebombs on kites across the fence in an effort to cause a conflagration in agricultural zones in Israel.
Hamas is attempting to disguise terror activities as a civilian-led riot pic.twitter.com/WERPSrMtiR
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) April 29, 2018
Hamas operatives can be seen at viewing stations somewhat removed from the mass of protesters giving orders to ring-leaders among the crowd based on their situation assessment. A forward brigade can be seen crawling up to the fence in an attempt to damage the fence’s infrastructure and foundation, lighting a tire on fire to create a smokescreen and then calling to throngs of others to come and make a whole in the fence while using the smoke screen for cover. In one instance, the protesters came as close as 40 meters to the Kerem Shalom crossing.
A few hours ago, a Hamas terrorist tried to sabotage the fence and other security equipment at the Karni Crossing, near where the Hamas-led assault on the fence was stopped only two days ago. He was apprehended. Another attempt by Hamas to attack Israel. More details to follow. pic.twitter.com/a0vxolDKO5
— Jonathan Conricus (@LTCJonathan) April 29, 2018
The use of kite bombs has cost Israel thousands of shekel in damaged crops and forested areas. On Sunday, three such bombs were detonated in Israel, one in Sha’ar Hanegev region that burnt dozens of dunam or wheat. Another blaze due to another Kite bomb took place in Kisufim forest in the Eshkol region. A third blaze also took place in a wheat field, this time in the Eshkol region. Farmers in this blaze were forced to destroy crops in order to ensure that the blaze wouldn’t spread out of their control. Since the beginning of the protest, hundreds of firebombs have been flown into Israel in this method causing damage in the hundreds of thousands of shekel range.
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) April 27, 2018
Reuven Nir, the head of agriculture for the Kibbutzim of Kfar Azza and Meflasim said: “We don’t really have a method to combat this type of terrorism. At the beginning of the protests, we simply went out on our own accord dismantled the kites and put out the fire ourselves. But as this trend is just increasing and hundreds of dunams of wheat have gone up in smoke because of it, we need to come up with a solution.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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